London gets its first robot receptionist in Shoreditch

A robot clocked on for its first shift on reception at a London office today.

The 4ft assistant Pepper, pictured with Jessica Dealey at the Shoreditch offices of media agency Brainlabs, has a screen in its chest and can identify emotions and adapt its responses.

At £26,000 it is cheaper than a human over time.

But the firm said no one lost their job — and it wants to automate “basic work because it leads to the creation of new jobs”.